A few years back we saw an image that would quickly became a symbol of our time, highlighting one of the major flaws in humankind’s obsession with achieving physical perfection. The image was a family portrait, the mother and father of which had both undergone plastic surgery and looked startlingly different from their three kids, all of whom had similar, very distinct physical features. As it was later discovered, however, the portrait was completely staged, and none of the people in it are related in any way.

Nevertheless, the negative impact of the photo was so great that the life of the young “mother” took a drastic turn for the worse after the image went viral. The woman is now suing the Taiwanese plastic surgery clinic and advertising firm behind the image for using it unfairly and for not explaining the nature of advertisement the photo would be used for.

In less than half a year since a counterfeit bank was discovered in Nanjing, China, the founder of another fake bank has been arrested in Shandong Province. Although not quite as sinister as the previous unlicensed money lenders, this suspected fraudster seemed not so much evil as just stubbornly convinced that he could run a financial institution despite not knowing certain core concepts of banking such as allowing your customers to withdraw money from their accounts.

It’s a fact of life that copyright laws just aren’t as strictly enforced in many other parts of Asia as they are in Japan. So when photos started making the online rounds showing a resort in the Philippines with a statue of anime robot Gundam that’s as huge as it is fake, we responded with a laugh and a shrug of our shoulders.

But maybe having their clear case of intellectual property infringement become laughed at online made the management of Jed’s Island Resort rethink their decision. Recent photos show that the statue has been repainted, and its new color scheme doesn’t look like Gundam’s at all. So, is it an original design?

Take a quick look at the picture above. Notice anything strange? Perceptive readers may have spotted something out-of-place right away. If you didn’t, well, no worries, but you’ll probably want to facepalm yourself when you take a second look.

Like this Chinese “7-Twelve,” there are a number of fake, localized versions of popular convenience store 7-Eleven scattered throughout the Asian continent. They may think they can slip through the cracks, but perhaps it’s only a matter of time before a lawyer comes knocking at their doors. We have to hand it to them, though–they score high on creativity for coming up with some amusing names.

How many of you have ever seriously wondered if One Piece’s heroine, Nami, has fake boobs? Well, not just Nami, we can easily name a long list of manga or anime characters with overwhelming assets. These characters can get away with heavy bosoms larger than their heads because they’re fictional after all, but if they existed in real life like famous celebrities, there is bound to be speculation over whether they’ve gotten implants.

Sorry to dash your dreams, guys, but it seems that Nami has silicone implants! We’ve got the photos to prove it!

Despite the country’s phenomenal growth in recent years, the words “Made in China” carry certain negative connotations for some. Ignoring the fact that a vast proportion of our electrical goods–iPhones included–are assembled there, many people are quick to point to the label on their goods whenever a problem occurs.

Rather than focus on the negative, though, we’d like to take a few moments to commend China’s creativity and ingenuity when it comes to copyright restriction and trademarked brands. From Penesamig batteries to Calvim Klaim underwear, China is without a doubt the king of clever imitation.

There are few things worse for the tech fan of the 21st century than a smartphone running out of juice while out and about. Even newer smartphones start flagging after four or five hours of constant web surfing or video watching, meaning that remembering to pack a charging cable is, for some, almost as vital as the device itself. Thankfully, dozens of electronics makers have responded to this problem by launching pocket-sized mobile batteries that can provide smartphones with a full charge simply by plugging in a cable, keeping users playing games and posting OMFG and LOLZ comments all day long without fear of their gadget falling asleep on them.

We’re not sure that a couple of bags of sand will provide all that much energy, though…

Just like every other Apple release, scores of eager Apple fanatics will wait in line for hours (or days) in order to be one of the first to get their hands on the new iPhone5S. But for those who are so eager they can’t wait for the rumored August 2013 release, there is now an alternative to waiting: purchase the Goophone i5S, China’s knockoff iPhone5S, on sale now.

According to the February 27 edition of The Beijing News, “pregnancy pads” are a hot-seller among Chinese women wanting to get a seat on the crowded trains running through the nation’s capital. The bulky pad, which women strap over their stomachs to feign pregnancy, however, has also the cause of much trouble, however, as one woman complained to authorities after the item slipped off in public, making her a laughing stock.Read More

At first glance, these walnuts look like normal, everyday unshelled walnuts. But once broken in half, instead of a delicious, nutty treat, unsuspecting buyers will be unpleasantly surprised to find a rock sandwiched between the walnut shells.

In pretty much any major city around the world, you’re bound to run in to a person collecting money for some cause or other. It could be in aid of curing a deadly disease, cutting world hunger, protecting the environment or even animal rights activists PETA asking for donations when they’re not making online videogames…

In Japan, it’s not uncommon to encounter Buddhist monks, standing still in the street with a bowl in hand, asking for donations. This is a tradition that has existed in Japan for centuries, and, while few busy city-dwellers stop to drop a few yen in the bowl, even fewer would begrudge the monks for doing it since they have scant income and bring a lot of comfort to many people.

A photo that appeared online earlier this week, however, showing what appears to be two monks sitting in a side-street laughing and smoking while counting their takings for the day, has caused quite a stir among Japan’s internet users…

A woman in Ningbo, China, is claiming that she received a counterfeit bill among the cash she withdrew from a Chinese bank’s ATM.

After withdrawing 500 Yuan (around 80 US dollars) from the machine, Ms. Oh visited a pharmacy where she attempted to pay for a handful of items with one of the five 100 Yuan notes.

Although she had checked that the amount was there in full when it came out of the machine, Oh had not noticed the fake bill amongst the four other genuine 100 Yuan notes, and handed it over at the pharmacy without thinking anything of it.